Things That Are Left
by Kisekikui
Summary: "My heart is hurting from an attempt to feed off of this unfamiliar burning in my lungs, repeatedly mistaking it for the chilled breathing it knows." HitsugayaxOC -Epilogue to Things That Are Lost-
1. Responsibility

**Author:**

Behold, the not-so-long awaited Epilogue~

If you're scrolling up and down the page wondering, "What is this? I don't get it. What Epilogue?", then you should have read the description. This is an Epilogue to Things That Are Lost, a fanfic by Me. So, misguided reader, scurry up to my profile, scroll down to my list of stories, and click on Things That Are Lost before reading a single word of this~

If you're a reader that has been waiting for the spring that would carry this story, here it finally is. It's in a separate story-like-thingy because it's long, and I like it this way. (_It has Pizazz, and its own title!_) It will grow to span five chapters, and then lead on into the sequel, unless some unexpected wave of readers vote in the poll that they don't want a sequel after all. But how could that possibly happen?

Enough of my speech! It was pretty pointless anyway. Read!

**

* * *

Matsumoto Rangiku**

I wonder why I'm thinking about this now, of all times… I'm picking up my dry cleaning! But Taicho was so sad at her funeral. And finally after finding her too…No! I can't think of this now! I'll get teary again. Oh! I should just organize it, shouldn't I! It should be alright, if I do that.

Alright. Nadeshiko had gone to Kurotsuchi to receive treatment for something, as I've heard. And later, it malfunctioned and killed her. Oh, I remember the scene. Kamaro and I barged in after making the connection and tracing Taicho's reiatsu. Taicho was sitting on a table, and Kurotsuchi-taicho—both him and his fukutaicho—were standing over Nadeshiko…Ah, there was so much blood. But we couldn't see her face from where we entered.

When Kurotsuchi-taicho—wait, that title isn't his anymore—when he noticed us, he spun around and had this look in his eyes…like he was angry and horrified at the same time. I could tell he was worried about his job, but it looked so _creepy_!

"Get out!" he hissed at us, trying to be heard over the long beep, "_Leave_!"

That seemed to snap Taicho out of his dazed state. He flinched (he was sitting on a table) and then froze in place. I still didn't see Nadeshiko's face then, but Kamaro did. He made a sick noise, like he was going to puke, and then fell to his knees. Kurotsuchi ran to us and pushed us out. Kamaro and I protested, and I yelled to Taicho, but he didn't seem to be able to hear me. We were shut out.

Moments later, Kamaro brought Unohana-taicho and a bunch of paramedics with cleaning-men back to the Research building. They went inside immediately to clean things up. Taicho came out right after they went in. His feet, shihakusho, and haori all were smothered with red. He walked past me then…

Oh no! I passed it! Gotta turn around…turn around…

Taicho…Where was I? Taicho left the room, partially stained with Nadeshiko's blood. He didn't give me a direct look, but he glanced in my direction, as if to politely acknowledge our presence. (My and Kamaro's presence) His eyes looked so _empty_. Kamaro took one look at that face and pushed past me into the room.

After that, Kurotsuchi was arrested for murder, operating on a person without a license, and many other things circling the situation. His division members…some of them seemed relieved. I can see why. As for Kurotsuchi Nemu, Kurotsuchi didn't want anyone to use her, so he put her into a data recovery mode where she would continue to repeat data to herself until Kurotsuchi himself stopped it. They put her into a cell.

Up until January first, the new year, Taicho busied himself with work. He created so much and did it so fast…and when he didn't have work, he studied. I had to remind him to sleep sometimes, and even then he didn't want to. Ah, at least it's better now. He gets his sleep. But now, just to make sure he doesn't go back into that state, I've been doing things for him. I've been helping with paperwork, getting him coffee—

Augh! I passed it again~!

—Helping him with coffee, delivering his reports, organizing meetings with Hinamori-san, getting his drycleaning…all of that! But, then again, aren't I helping him to be a hermit?! Aah! Wait, no, he still talks to people. That's good.

Yes! Dry cleaners! _What_?! They're out to lunch?!

Darn~!

Maybe I should go get lunch with Taicho? That would probably be the best.

* * *

"Taicho! Good afternoon, want to go get lunch?...Are you sure? Should I—"

"No, it's fine. Thanks."

"Ah…alright."

He's lounging on the couch, studying. The place on his desk where he usually puts his finished stacks of paperwork is empty, and his entire desk is spotless, like he's been cleaning it for a while. Looking back at him, his book is only open to the beginning pages.

"You can go, if you want." He says, not turning his head.

"Are you sure—"

He puts the book down, holding the page with his thumb, and turns to give me a small smile. "Thanks, Matsumoto."

The smile is so sweet; I just _have _to return it while I leave. A month after the incident, he started using that face with me. He's smiling, and it's rare to see on him—well, not anymore—but…it's just…sad. His eyes look empty, and the smile has a hollow foundation. As sweet as that expression appears at first glance, it's almost…depressing. It feels as if it's as powerful as Unohana-taicho's smile…Nevermind, I take that back.

* * *

**Author:**

And that ends Matsumoto's portion! Of course, what she's told is only a shell of the story; there's tons more.

You wonderful readers also won't have to think much during the Epilogue, since it's so short. But there will be 'little somethings', like the chapter titles. It might be kinda obvious, but I wonder if you can guess the reason for 'Responsibility' being this title. I bet it's super easy, but I have this nagging feeling someone's not gonna get it straight off the bat. In that case, I should say that titles, like people, mingle. Then again, that hint is more confusing than its problem.

No review poems for the Epilogue either, just because I'm lazy~


	2. Regret

**Author:**

Did I ever put 'Author's note' up there? I really don't wanna check, just in case I've been alternating by accident. (It'd be bad now though if I've always put 'Author's note' though...Oh well)

Heh, someone in the reviews said that they couldn't wait for Kamaro's point of view. Amazingly, dear reader, he was next.

Sorry for the long wait, by the way ._. To be honest, I was just being lazy. It's been weeks though, hasn't it.

Beyond this mostly pointless Author's note, (I really think it _was_ 'Author's Note' now ._.) is the second chapter of this over-done Epilogue. In the last chapter, Matsumoto idly gave us the shell of the story, and now Kamaro comes around to give you the fleshy lobster meat. Or at least part of it. The other part was eaten.

Read and Enjoy~

**

* * *

Ikezuchi Kamaro**

Back when Matsumoto and I read through Hitsugaya-taicho's book, I felt bad. Nadeshiko and he were gone, for some reason, and I had just caused a rumor to be spread. That was unnecessary. I felt like scum.

Later, I went to Kurotsuchi to ask about Nadeshiko. Matsumoto, before putting the book back, mumbled something about Nadeshiko having gone to Kurotsuchi near her first day as a shinigami. So I checked there. Kurotsuchi-tai…Kurotsuchi practically shut the door in my face.

I then decided to talk to Matsumoto again. I found her in Hitsugaya-taicho's office, looking through the bookcase again. She jumped up when I entered, pouted when she realized it was me, and then showed this really confused face, like I had something on mine.

I asked why she as staring and she asked me where I had just been. I answered, and she came closer to me, saying I had some of Taicho's reiatsu on me. I've never really been good at identifying reiatsu, so I had to concentrate really hard to sense what she was sensing. I did, but it didn't click with me what the connection was until Matsumoto asked me if I sensed Hitsugaya-taicho's reiatsu at Kurotsuchi's research building. That's how we figured out where they were.

No one answered when we knocked, but the door was always left open. The air (I remember that the most) began to bitter in taste as we passed through the hall. There was a muffled beep coming from a room far away, and it slowly got louder when we turned to another hall. There was shouting. The bitter air gained a smell.

That smell made us run forward to find the source of it. Kurotsuchi's shouting, the decelerating beep, that _smell_…they were so ominous. We reached the room right as the beep stopped pulsing. That horrible odor at that point was incredibly strong and it was making me sick. If I concentrated, I could identify four bodies in there.

Matsumoto rapped on the door with her fist. She must've sensed Taicho's reiatsu in the room and thought the smell belonged to him. The door let out a cold sound…it didn't echo, I mean. While Matsumoto shouted for the door to be opened, the sounds that accompanied the beep stopped. The sounds of glass (maybe it was plastic) clattering against the floor just weren't there anymore. Matsumoto tried kido.

The door opened with a bang. We rushed through, then froze. The first thing I saw was the red on the floor. It was obvious what it was, I mean, that's what the smell was radiating off of. But I couldn't..._wouldn't_ believe my eyes.

I saw Nadeshiko's face. It was mostly hidden by Taicho's and Kurotsuchi's robes, but I saw it. Other than Unohana-taicho, the paramedics, and the clean-up people, I was the only person to see it that wasn't involved…if you could say I wasn't.

Her face was…covered in it. She looked like someone had splattered red paint all over her, everywhere below her nose had the stuff messily spread around. It leaked onto the floor, seeped into her clothes, and covered everything.

But her face…I'm still not entirely sure, but when I saw her then and even when I think back to it now, she looked so happy. There was something like a sleeping peaceful look on her face. At that moment though, I couldn't take seeing her like that. I fell to my knees weakly.

Kurotsuchi yelled something and ran over to close the door, kicking me away in the process. I tumbled over like a kid and scrambled to my feet while Matsumoto continued to beat against the door. I ran to the Fourth Division.

There, I quickly found some people and explained to them what we'd found. They didn't believe me at first, and the girl threw a wet rag at me, calling me a bad joker, but the other guy—I had four Academy classes with him—took a long look at my face and then told the others I wasn't lying.

Unohana-taicho just happened to be around the corner, and she walked around to us. She asked me the details again, I explained it to her briefly, and she gathered a team. We were back at the research building in two minutes.

Matsumoto wasn't hitting the door anymore, and stepped back to let the paramedics and Unohana-taicho through. I stood by Matsumoto. I didn't want to look in the room anymore at that point. I kept thinking then that I'd lecture Nadeshiko after this, tell her that being around these people is dangerous…things like that. But then Taicho came out of the room.

He glanced at us, and for the split second that he did, I couldn't find a thing in his eyes. I mean, they were there, but his expression spoke bad things. No…it didn't say anything at all. I pushed past Matsumoto inside the room.

I don't want to repeat what exactly happened in there. Kurotsuchi had run away, they found Kurotsuchi Nemu with robotic lines crossing her eyes sitting in a chair, and the paramedics picked up Nadeshiko's body as soon as they confirmed her…state. Days later, they found Kurotsuchi and threw him in jail for a million things. He wouldn't be coming out.

I never thought I would actually be writing in this thing. Ito gave it to me as a birthday gift one year and told me to record history, just like all those American and European journalists did. (Actually, weren't there Japanese who did that too? Maybe.) (Nice, it's my country and I don't even know.) (Well, these were her words, not mine) Either way, this is something to record, so I'll record it. Do I have to put the weather?

By the way, not that Taicho made me madder by this, or anything like that, but I'm resigning from the division. I realized that he wasn't as cold as I thought he was, with his reaction to everything. And the only reason I stayed in this division with this much contempt built up was to keep that belief alive. I don't have a reason to stay anymore.

I actually feel bad when I see him. Matsumoto assured me that Nadeshiko would have…gone anyway, but I still feel sort of responsible. Even though the printed evidence supports that, somehow…my conscience doesn't believe it.

I wish I could redo alotta the things I did. I let my temper and jealousy get to me. I wish I could've gotten to know Nadeshiko more. I really do. Her (after)life was too short. It isn't fair.

I think I might move into the Ninth division.

"_Alright, time to go."_

_

* * *

_

**Author's Note:**

(Just to be safe.)

I think the title thing is becoming clearer now. It should be really clear now. Or not. Maybe I'm just vague ._. Whatever, I'm still not giving it away until the end.

Also, Kamaro's biggest character trait should come out in here. Nope, it's not that he's a joker, it's that he doesn't like things related to death. Just look at his zanpakuto! It doesn't even cut! (That's because it's a bread knife) (You know, I actually got cut with one of those once ._.) But seriously, he doesn't like anything related to it. A psychiatrist might say that he laughs and jokes so much because things like that are so bad to him. If you notice, he says 'the red' and 'her state' instead of their real meanings. Cuteness~

Well, I just wanted to say that. Kamaro's the character I'm proudest of. Even though everyone hates him so much~ (Or at least a majority of you guys seem to) That was something I really think I didn't hint at, and I wanted it known. But now I'm rambling.

Look forward to the next chapter~ Hitsugaya has a role in there :D

...Okay, the role isn't that big ._.


	3. DATA

**Author's Note:**

I'm pretty sure there's a note there, and no, I haven't checked yet. But if it wasn't before, it is now~

That, my readers, is called laziness.

I got this chapter typed faster than I thought I would. I originally was going to watch anime and shirk all of my responsibilities until the series I wanted to watch was completely done, but being on the computer made me want to type~! Plus, I'm using a _laptop_. With a fancy-schmancy _laptop keyboard._ It's so thin and brittle feeling~ Using it just made me want to type with it, which was extremely annoying because the cursor kept jumping around, but it was worth it~

Enough pointless talk! Read!

* * *

**Kurotsuchi Mayuri**

This cell is as cold as it used to be.

I'm amazed they gave me the same one. The bars still have the scratch marks, and the floor still has that ridiculously obvious green stain that no one has cared to clean up. Food is delivered to me by a covert-ops member who stands one-hundred feet away at a forty-five degree angle like a schoolchild. He pushes a bento-sized food box through the bars using kido. On the third day, he spilled the food.

There is no machinery anywhere near my cell in order to prevent me from creating anything to escape.

Foolish.

As if I would want to leave here. My tools, of course, are not present, and my computer isn't as well, but for what reason should I need them? In this cell I have privacy, silence, time to think and calculate. I have to need for a computer. Paper is unnecessary—all of my vital information is stored inside my mind.

Now, what shall I run over first? Quincy information? Or would the Vizards be more interesting? What class of information is least complete? Which is least refined? Are there any moments lacking thorough inspection?

Ah, there is the most recent event.

Hanate Nadeshiko died at approximately age eighteen, including human years, due to my carelessness.

I was annoyed by Hitsugaya-taicho's behavior in the dream. His alterations had caused Nadeshiko minor tremors. His actions in a certain part of the dream caused her to mover her arm. If the restraints hadn't been placed on her, she would have rolled over onto her side and fallen off of the operating table. Then again, that ending may have supplied a better outcome than this…The wires that would have come unplugged would have imprisoned Hitsugaya-taicho inside Nadeshiko's mind for eternity.

…I still would have become imprisoned by the discovery of Hitsugaya-taicho's 'death'.

Everything was flowing smoothly, and Hitsugaya-taicho had seemed to forget his purpose. He went through the dream as if it _were_ his childhood, only stopping at moments where he and Nadeshiko weren't both conscious. He was wasting time, but his time hadn't been even close to finished.

As I later found from reviewing the video transferred into my mind, when Yamaiki Sera told Hitsugaya-taicho of the nearing end, she had been misinformed. Yamaiki Sara had changed the charts that both twins had been using to measure the dream's timeline. When Sera checked, it read a date near the day Nadeshiko abandoned her Rukongai family.

Sara kept the two—Hitsugaya-taicho and Nadeshiko—imprisoned for what seemed to them to be less than an hour, but actually spanned the remaining length. Foolishly, I'd assumed the rate difference in time would remain constant, and chose to leave the room for a few minutes to take a break to the restroom.

(Scoff)

As if that had been necessary.

At my return to the room, Nemu was administrating a cooling drug into Nadeshiko's bloodstream. It wasn't working fast enough, and possible side-effect number fifty-four was occurring.

Side-effect number fifty-four is the violent twitching of nerves, muscles, and tendons that causes ruptures and rips in the organs. If the heart or lungs are ripped during this occurrence, blood starts exiting through the mouth. If the afflicted subject is lying on their back, they die. If the afflicted subject does not receive a blood cooler within four minutes of affliction, they will die. For both variables, it was too late.

That side-effect was the last of fifty-four, and I had not expected the Sleepers' 'fluff' to randomize the order of side-effects. Originally, it would have been another twenty years before that side-affect could occur.

Upon my return to the room…Nemu was administering the cooling drug. Its cooling rate was not faster than the rate at which blood was exiting Nadeshiko's throat, however. I pushed Nemu aside and pulled another drug—one that was colored purple to show richness of vitamin K—out of my robes. I stabbed it deep into Nadeshiko's neck until it reached her throat. The blood clotted, but still not fast enough.

Frustrated, I threw it to the ground and pulled another one.

Syringe after syringe fell to the floor and the heart monitor eventually slowed to a stop. The drugs simply didn't work fast enough. Seconds after the last beat, the screen buzzed and Hitsugaya-taicho awoke. I didn't bother turning around. Nemu was standing opposite me and was using the defibrillator to restart Nadeshiko's heart. It wasn't working.

At that point, I began to panic. It was not panic from fear over Nadeshiko's death, nor did it result from a fear of causing someone's demise. The panic resulted from the loss of such a rare specimen. I knew at that point that once she was found, I would return to this cell. Even if I am able to leave, it should be another thousand years before I find another like her—a body born with selective nerve function.

Where was I?...Ah, yes, Matsumoto Rangiku and Ikezuchi Kamaro of the Tenth Division pushed the door open loudly and froze in place. I turned then and evaluated my options. It was certain that I would be under arrest. I pushed them out and locked the door.

Right as I did so, Hitsugaya-taicho released himself from his restraints and began to call Nadeshiko's name. I turned around to watch his reaction. He said her name again and gently shook her. He seemed to be ignoring the heart monitor.

After calling her name a third time, he took in a shaky breath and brought his ear close to her nose and mouth in order to test for breathing, I assumed. His hand held Nadeshiko's wrist most likely to feel for a pulse. Slowly, Hitsugaya-taicho turned to me, looking like the frightened child he was.

"What happened?" He finally managed to choke out.

I stared at him while evaluating my options. Ikezuchi Kamaro was no longer at the door, but Matsumoto Rangiku still pounded on the door. I turned to my left and began to rummage through a drawer.

"The Sleepers' process resulted in a clash of chemicals, so to speak. Her level of reiatsu combined with the substance they use to create another Sleeper—"

"What does that mean?" He began to raise his voice. "What are you getting at?"

I gave him a long glance and continued. "—produced a cell that brought—"

"What does that mean?"' He repeated, not an ounce louder.

I found the syringe I was searching for and promptly injected the fluid into myself, immediately feeling its slow-acting effects.

"It means," I managed to say before bursting into a mass of green, "that she has died."

As my liquid form slid through the pores in the floor, Hitsugaya-taicho fell to his knees in what appeared to be defeat. He covered his face and clenched his teeth, much to my surprise. I had expected him to blame me, but he instead appeared to be blaming himself, misunderstanding the situation.

…

Where was I?

Ah, yes.

I remained unfound for a full three days, and then was discovered in that same lab by that nameless First Division vice-captain. I had been there to put Nemu into a data recovery mode, but she had already entered it, either by herself or by the initiation of another person. I assumed at the time that she had entered the data recovery mode on her own, and that is more plausible.

While I prepared to leave, the First Division vice-captain entered the room with ten other men and apprehended me after quite a scuttle. I was charged with four hundred seventy-five charges on my person. Many of them came from my division members, I assume. My sentence was to stay in this cell for what will seem like an eternity, and another thing they did not inform me of. I argued that I had a right to know the full extents of my sentence, but they didn't care. Now I sit in this dreadful cell.

But, then again, only a fool would _really_ call this cell dreadful.

As if I would want to leave here. My tools, of course, are not present, and my computer isn't as well, but for what reason should I need them! In this cell I have privacy, silence, time to think and calculate. I have to need for a computer. Paper is unnecessary—all of my vital information is stored inside my mind.

Now, what shall I run over first?

* * *

**Author's Note:**

I told you Hitsugaya's role in this wouldn't be that big ._.

Gotta love Kurotsuchi~ He's so cool~ But look what he did, and look where he is now! Horrible, horrible. He's not insane though, dear readers, trust me.

Above, he tells the 'inside' part of this Epilogue's story. He also kind of tells how Hitsugaya first reacted after waking up, which I BET wasn't what anyone thought~ Or maybe some of you did. Internet-five if you thought he'd react that way~ I assume that you guys can guess what the unknown punishment was too, so I have nothing left~

Who's story will be next? Who will tell it? What will the chapter be called!

It's not that exciting though, so there's probably not going to be that much anticipation ._. It'll at least answer a question that most of you probably asked yourselves at the end of Things That Are Lost. ( I wonder if anyone remembers ) By the looks of the poll, there _will _be a sequel~ Though I believe that's already been mentioned. I'm so excited~

See you guys next chapter~ It's the second to last one :D

_...I have this nagging feeling I'm forgetting something I wanted to say... _._.


	4. Confusion

**Hanate Nadeshiko**

_What…shouldn't I be waking up? Why is it so dark? My eyes won't open…_

_Ah! I can hear someone calling me…Oh, I know his name, but I can't…I need to answer him…_

…

_Wait, _is _that my name I'm hearing? This place is strange. There's a weird sound coming from inside of me now. Around me too. B…Beating._

_What is "beating"?_

_What is my name?_

_I can't hear it anymore._


	5. Dust

**Author's Note:**

Heh...quite an absence that was... ._. I'd give an excuse, and believe me, I have plenty collecting dust in a corner of my mind, but I do that _so_ much. Either way, here's chapter four of this wrongly capitalized Epilogue, and it might end up being pretty boring. But seeing there most likely be a sequel...Oh, nevermind, I'll keep my fingers off of the keyboard~

Read :D

**

* * *

Kurotsuchi Nemu**

Data Recovery Mode

Folder number 5476117413

File number 671 – Section two

Title: Yamaiki Sara and Sera [Soul Society]

Yamaiki Sara came to Soul Society and used Sleeper abilities to gather the rest of her clan once 'passing on'. There, she took the lives and zanpakuto of six academy-level shinigami and distributed them among her associates [Names: Ikezuchi Kenta, Kurayami Shippo, Yamaiki Sera, Minasuzu Rei, Aritake Kokomi]. All people involved [includes Kurayami Shippo; and academy enrollee] were captured and are currently either deceased or being held as future test subjects.

Yamaiki Sara fits neither category. Using Sleeper abilities, she escaped from her cell in which she was being held as a future test subject. Yamaiki Sera concealed her sister's existence in her room given to her by Kurotsuchi-sama. Yamaiki Sara hid beneath the bed in that room. Again using Sleeper abilities, she followed Yamaiki Sera and they found a way into Nadeshiko's mind together.

Data Recovery Mode

Folder number 5476117413

File number 671 – Section three

Title: Yamaiki Sara and Sera [Nadeshiko's Dream]

Yamaiki Sara and Sera replaced Hinamori Momo's place in the dream. The two monitored all actions and altered the dream's course to fit their needs. Yamaiki Sera assisted Hitsugaya Toushiro and apologized for both her and her sister. In the last section of the dream, Yamaiki Sera answered Hanate Nadeshiko's call and gave a hint to leaving the dream. Yamaiki Sara, angry at her sister but unable to protest to following an order, left Hanate Nadeshiko alone. When Hanate Nadeshiko and Hitsugaya Toushiro solved the puzzle of leaving, Yamaiki Sara angrily attacked them. Hanate Nadeshiko experienced minor brain damage. Then, Yamaiki Sera used a [name unknown] staff [Link: Yamaiki Sera's Staff] to kill both her sister and herself.

Data Recovery Mode

Folder number 5476117413

File number 672 – Section one

Title: Dreamwood

Dreamwood is found on trees in dreams. Regardless of the type of tree that appears, the inner bark will always be dreamwood. Dreamwood is brown, but has no age rings.

Data Recovery Mode

Folder number 5476117413

File number 672 – Section two

Title: Yamaiki Sera's Staff

The staff is at a height of 175 centimeters. There is a spiral around the staff's body with Chinese characters on it. Those characters translate to: 'I reject this conclusion, allow the soil to be silenced. Let the hand of the sky decide upon our fates and select our placement. Our souls must not move from their etched place in this world.' The head of the staff is a frog, a symbol of Western myths of witchcraft. The frog has an open mouth and blue eyes.

When used, the Chinese characters glow and emit light word by word until the entire message is lit. At that point, the blue eyes of the frog brighten and explode seconds later. The explosion in Nadeshiko's mind was concealed within a barrier created by Yamaiki Sera. The material used to create it is unknown. The material used to color the frog's eyes is unknown.

The message on the staff and Inoue Orihime's command [Link: Shun-Shun-Rikka] to her Shun-Shun-Rikka are similar. The Sleepers' abilities and hers are also similar. Their origins are believed to be related.

Data Recovery Mode

Folder number 5476117413

File number 673 – Video

Title: Hanate Nadeshiko's Jail

Yamaiki Sara stalked off from the cell door with a heavily angered face, her fingers curled in frustration and anxiety. She wanted to hurry to the room five doors away to begin speeding up the time. Her feet fell upon the floor like rocks thrown to concrete.

Yamaiki Sera sat in the room her sister was heading for. She stood against a wall, her eyes closed in half-shame. Tears flowed from her eyes slowly, nervously. Once a drop reached her cheek, she rubbed it away furiously. Her shoulders were slumped in a forced relaxed state, displaying her fear of her sister's reaction.

Suddenly, Yamaiki Sara entered the room, not bothering to use the door. Her form passed through the wall so easily, as if the wall were an illusion. She shot a malicious look at her sister and then turned away with a shunning huff. Nighttime stars appeared on the floor, surrounding a bare patch of sky. Yamaiki Sara took her seat in that area and began to rearrange the stars, altering time.

Yamaiki Sera, eyes downcast, muttered something illegible after a fourteen-minute silence. Yamaiki Sara angrily slammed her hands down on the floor and pushed herself to a stand. She glared at her sister.

"Repeat it," she spat.

Yamaiki Sera averted her gaze to the wall. "Let them go."

Taking a step back, Yamaiki Sara brought her right hand to her head. She eyed her sister warily, waiting. Finally, she pulled her hand back behind herself and clenched her teeth.

"Snap, bare fang. Rise, twin divinity, claw of the tiger," she hissed.

Yamaiki Sera's eyes jumped immediately to her sister. She realized the situation and thrust her hand behind her back as well, beginning her summoning chant.

"Twist, ripe vanity. Fall, twin divinity, air of the strong wind churn the mantle,"

"Malicious fire—"

"Single river—"

"Rush the talon of fate into my hands!"

As the last line was shouted in unison, the twins charged at each other with similar ivory staffs in their hands. Yamaiki Sara smirked. Yamaiki Sera's face grew sullen.

"To think it would come to this…" she whispered, pushing back.

"You brought it upon yourself," Yamaiki Sara jumped back as well, raising her staff again. "You and these Shinigami!"

"You didn't have to attack them! They didn't see us as a threat!"

"That shinigami attacked me first!"

"You led him to that field!"

Yamaiki Sara narrowed her eyes at her sister. "You're saying it's _my_ fault that the civilization we tried so hard to build his collapsed? That it's _my _fault we have to put Nadeshiko-sama through this?"

"We don't have to!" Yamaiki Sera spread out her arms, trying to explain. "If you'll just let them go, we can—"

"Shut up!" Yamaiki Sara barked, pointing the swirled spring-like head of her staff ahead threateningly. "I'll get Nadeshiko-sama after this and restart our community with her and me alone!"

Yamaiki Sera raised her faint-purple staff in the same manner. "You're going to kill me?"

"Not just you," a smirk mirrored Yamaiki Sara's malicious intentions. "I'll kill that boy, Kurotsuchi, and the entire civilization of Shinigami! Just like they did to us."

"You're…that's insane!" The pleading look returned to Yamaiki Sera's eyes. "Don't even try doing that! There are too many of them for that goal to even seem accomplishable!"

"Shut up!" Yamaiki Sara screeched, firing a strong blast of a fiery substance. Yamaiki Sera dodged, but the flare grazed her leg. She panted, reaching for the burn. Wincing, she held her staff before her in defense.

"We shouldn't fight in here," she spoke, raising her voice. Yamaiki Sara scoffed.

"Nadeshiko-sama can be fixed. Idiot." Yamaiki Sera jumped away again as her sister drew closer, firing shot after shot. "What's the matter, Sera, why aren't you shooting?" Yamaiki Sara sneered threateningly. "You don't value this life you have?"

Again, Yamaiki Sera barely escaped a hit. This time, her arm was grazed, more than the last time, and she screamed out in pain. Yamaiki Sara chuckled, shooting again.

"No matter how much you shout, I've made it so Nadeshiko-sama won't hear!" Sera avoided it, and then held her staff out in front of herself, timidly.

"I will answer the princess's call." She whispered, before disappearing.

Yamaiki Sara huffed and held her staff in the same manner, about to follow, but she stopped before speaking the incantation. She, too, had heard Hanate Nadeshiko's call, and thought little of it. Now, she realized, her sister could escape to another location once finished with Hanate Nadeshiko's call. She hastily left the room.

Seconds later, Yamaiki Sera re-entered the room to find it empty. Thinking fast, she knelt and dismissed her current staff by reciting the summoning speech backwards. Once it left, she then began to recite another in a fast whisper of Chinese.

"Pistol of the Western hand, claw of the Southern paw, flare of the Northern cannon, katana of the Eastern clasp. The central force is bare, the internal dispute furious. With the divine hand that pushes through fate, remove intentions of the inferior and numb the mind." The next phrase was spoken in English. "Freshen and recreate these magic bearers."

At once, a staff [Link: Yamaiki Sera's Staff] appeared in Yamaiki Sera's hands. She waited for a second, attempting to use Sleeper abilities, and then there suddenly was a crash and a scream of rage. She saw her sister fly past the open room door, angry, and later heard the panicked voices of Hitsugaya Toushiro and Hanate Nadeshiko. Startled and worried, she raced to their location as fast a speed as she could muster. However, her legs weren't motivated by the rage her sister bore, and they were partially hindered by her anxiety.

In a few minutes, she reached the three [Yamaiki Sara, Hitsugaya Toushiro, Hanate Nadeshiko] and impulsively lunged at her sister, who had been restrained by Hitsugaya Toushiro [Link: Bakudo sixty-one, Rikujōkōrō]. Yamaiki Sera pulled a small scroll out of her clothing and tossed it to Hitsugaya Toushiro and Hanate Nadeshiko. Those two used it to escape while Yamaiki Sera formed a pink barrier around herself and her sister. They are believed to be the only ones to be affected by the staff's explosion.

Data Recovery Mode

Folder number 5476117413

File number 674 – Overview

Title: End of Folder Theories

The staff is believed to be a 'stamp' [Link: Stamp Theory]

Hanate Nadeshiko was also affected by the blast.

Years later, children with red hair will be born in Japan.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Le Gasp :O

I know I've done that somewhere before. But more than that! I hope I didn't mess up anyone's names ._. I haven't been typing for so long, and I kinda forgot how I sit/set my hands/move my fingers while I type things, so...yeah ._.

Now you know what happened with Sara and Sera while they were in the dream. It's still Nemu's chapter though. Oh, _who_ cares! What's the Stamp Theory? What about children with red hair? Orihime?

I said I wouldn't make you guys think through this, so relax your brains and prepare yourselves for the sequel~ Though there's still a chance there might not be one, I'll work your brains to a pulp! Muhahaha. But that's for later. Right now, don't mind things you don't know.

Next chapter will be Hitsugaya~ Feel free to squee~ I might take some time with this too, since it has to be _perfect_. Ah, I should knock on wood...there's none near me though ._. Watch, I'll say _perfect _now and then there'll be this really ugly typo or grammatical error in it when it's published. Then again, now I'm surrounding myself with so much worry that I feel I might fall over~

.-.

Okay, that's a really bad joke. I've been spouting them left and right and the people around me are starting to get annoyed, but still.

Well, see you next time, on _Things That Are Left_. Weeks and weeks of Commercial Break~!


	6. Projection

**Author:**

Here it finally is~ The fifth and final chapter to the epilogue. Hitsugaya's chapter has finally come, and it's short ._. I miraculously changed my original plans for this chapter after having some sort of weird premonition like thingy where one phrase just comes to me and I build something out of it. It ended up MUCH better than my original plan, in my opinion at least.

Enjoy~**  
**

* * *

**Hitsugaya Toushiro**

_Happy birthday again, Nadeshiko._

I stopped, closed and reopened my pen, and looked around. I felt the air. No one else was there, just as she had instructed in the dreams. My hands felt comfortably chilly in the early January air, and I had to fight the urge to remove my scarf. Under normal circumstances I would have, but the one I wore had sentimental value. And it still gives me a rash every time I adjust it on my neck, so I didn't want to move it.

There was snow on the ground that day. I can't help from considering that Nadeshiko would have loved to play in it. Sitting in front of her grave, I remember again that she never got to feel the snow. She never got to experience a lot of things.

As they had in the two years before, my thoughts wandered back to the Operating Room in the Research Department's building. At that point, waking up and seeing Nadeshiko…like that…I immediately assumed that I had been too late. Kurotsuchi…I hadn't had the slightest suspicion of him at the time, and it ended up not entirely being his fault. But I froze in place. I don't remember much other than there being a series of noises that seemed to last an eternity. I remember a beeping, someone banging on the door, Kurotsuchi's shouting…and then he moved.

With him in front of me, I could only see indications of the situation. Like Schrodinger's cat, there was something of a chance that I was wrong. When I had a clear view of Nadeshiko's state, I ripped the restraints from my legs and went to her side. She still appeared to be sleeping to me, and I was in a state of denial. Gently, I placed my hand on her shoulder and shook, waiting for her to wake up. Her body felt limper than ever.

I heard a door slam and ignored it, continuing to attempt to rouse her. I tried calling her name at some point—I don't remember when I started—and she still didn't open her eyes. Completely ignoring the growing blood stains on my haori, I quickly leaned closer to hear if she was breathing. I didn't hear anything. Trying CPR crossed my mind and my hand raced to hers in order to feel for a pulse. There was none. I finally realized what the beeping was.

Fighting back the tears in my eyes, I turned. Kurotsuchi was staring at me with a questioning face. My lips dry, I opened my mouth to speak. At first, my voice didn't come.

"What happened?" I finally choked out. The words stung my throat with the bitter feel of a lie; the answer was obvious.

Kurotsuchi gave me another long stare with a different expression before walking over to rummage through a drawer. "The Sleepers' process resulted in a clash of chemicals, so to speak. Her level of reiatsu combined with the substance they used to create another Sleeper—"

"What does that mean?" Because I didn't fully understand his answer, I said that with a small shred of hope. But that hope translated into volume, and I found I had raised my voice. "What are you getting at?" I asked.

Kurotsuchi just continued "—produced a cell that brought—"

"What does that mean?"

Kurotsuchi then picked up a syringe and injected its contents into his arm. "It means…that she has died."

He exploded into a green mess onto the floor and slipped through the cracks as I dropped to my knees in defeat. I'd thought that I had failed and left the dream too late. I wanted the moment to be a dream. I would have given anything to wake up, but there was nothing to wake up from.

A few seconds later, I heard a thump and another sound on the other side of the door as if someone had slid against it. It somehow brought me back to my senses. The blood that had gotten on my hands was smeared onto my face. There was some on the floor around me, in my socks, and on most of my clothing. I turned and stood.

Once at Nadeshiko's side again, I pulled stray strands of hair from her face and cleared away as much as her blood as I could. When I finished, I pulled her into a tight embrace. She was limp and cold. I squeezed my eyes shut, expecting tears to come, but my eyes were dry. I kept them closed anyway and apologized.

_I can't tell you how much I and everyone else miss you. _I continued to write. _Matsumoto is worried about me—_I scratched that out—_Matsumoto is back to her old self, and she's been starting to give off more and more of a motherly feeling. She's refusing to admit it, but she might be aging. Hinamori avoids talking about you, but when she does, she says all of the nice things she remembers doing with us when we were younger. Kamaro tries to act unaffected, but he really cared about you._

I paused.

_I want to tell you thanks for giving me this chance to speak to you. Even if these letters aren't really reaching you, writing them has—_pause—_healed me. I know I don't write much, and you're probably saying "stingy!" in your mind, but I'm trying._

_Right now, my heart is hurting from an attempt to feed off of the unfamiliar burning in my airway, repeatedly mistaking it for the chilled breathing it knows. These past three years, decreasing little by little, it's been because of the pain of you leaving, and knowing I'll never really see you again. But now, it's a sort of relief causing it._

_I've been holding on for a long time,-_I took a breath—_and some part of me doesn't want to let go and move on, but you've already gone. I'll miss you still, and the way I feel about you won't ever change._

My heart had been pounding from writing something so embarrassing that I'd snapped the book shut and forgotten to sign it that day. All I was thinking at the time was that the letters I had been writing better reach her. I probably would have been more sensitive, but it didn't really feel like a goodbye, writing that letter. I knew I would be seeing her soon.

* * *

_There is a place by the river where the stars always illuminate the sky. They don't exactly illuminate the sky, but the river reflects the stars' light and makes the sky brighter, so they indirectly do. I take Nadeshiko there some times at night when I see that the sky is especially bright, but we don't do anything there. Usually, I just sit there and think while Nadeshiko falls asleep on the grass. Today is one of those times._

_Again, the dirty thought of, 'I can do whatever I want to Nadeshiko and she won't know', creeps into my mind, but I don't act on it. The most I do is stroke her hair once or twice—it's soft—and maybe touch the side of her face, just because she really shouldn't be sleeping in the grass. And when I lean over to wake her up, she always wakes herself before I can._

"_Toushiro?" She sits up and rubs her eyes._

_I try to smile as I look back at the river. "I sent you a letter today. It's the end of the book."_

_She looks down and tries to smile as well. "Ah…right."_

"_You still haven't told me what happens."_

"_I think you have an idea."_

_I turn my eyes to the grass. She's right._

"_I'm…" she looks at me with apologetic eyes. "I'm not coming anymore."_

_My eyes close. "I thought as much. It's been fifteen years."_

"_I didn't want to leave you again like that. You know," Nadeshiko blushes and pokes her finger at the dirt, "like before. I didn't want to do the same thing, and so this was created." She waves her hands around._

"_That's the first thing you told me."_

"_And when you told me about the book, I knew that this would end when you finished it." She turns to me with a joking smile. "But I didn't think it would take so long!"_

_I smile genuinely and look back at her. Unlike that time twelve years ago, this really is a final goodbye. I pull her to me._

"_I love you, Nadeshiko." I say with a straight face, looking her straight in the eyes._

_Her face grows pink like a flower as she smiles. Tears come to her eyes and spill over. "I loved you too."_

_She puts her arms around me after saying what would seem to most to be cryptic words. But I understand. I let her cry into my shoulder, and the dreams end._

* * *

**Author: **

Aww, I'm gonna cryyyyyy~!

I had to have a tissue box with me while writing that since I was crying with such unmanly tears. It better not be confusing, or I'm gonna kick myself.

The Epilogue has finally ended, and~ by a 62 per-cent slide, there _will_ be a sequel (Confetti, confetti) But that poll thing doesn't round up, so it might actually be 63 instead of 62 ._. 62 or 63 percent of you guys hated the ending, but at least you liked the story :D And that alone makes me proud of myself.

Thanks for letting me have a big head~ I gotta let it deflate first before starting with the actual sequel, _Things That Are Found_, so it's gonna be another wait. Now I'm wondering whether or not I wanted to say the name here or not... ._. Oh well, bye for now~


End file.
